Antonio Meccariello Shoes

[Jamesbond1]

In my apartment block, i happen to have a neighbor with a Ferrari and a neighbor with a Lamborghini (both of whom i am friends with). I always have a grope of their cars when i park next to them Feels nice and.....Italian

Sir they look nice but if you are once in an 911 Turbo, GT trim and own one for years you will realize that those beautiful Italian rides are so beautiful when parked!

I use to manage a repair shop and have driven all of them. They are far better now then they were then thanks to the German components used but I am a 911 fan all the way I was then and I am now!!

but I am in my 40s happily married so I am also not trying to seek more attention on the road!!?

That GT3 RS is also not a sleeper my any means but that thing turns like nothing else on Planet Earth!!!

Sorry for the car chat on AM thread!!

Cheers,

 

[clee1982]

I’m sure AM hire people as well, EG/GG are not big company by any means, JL is under the umbrella so I suppose different story.

The only beef I have with say GG (or high end English maker in general) maker is price, and still just GW at that price, and if you want something in wider width even CJ charge you stupid money.

If I order GG with wider width I might as well go Japanese semi bespoke at that point.

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

Sir they look nice but if you are once in an 911 Turbo, GT trim and own one for years you will realize that those beautiful Italian rides are so beautiful when parked!

I use to manage a repair shop and have driven all of them. They are far better now then they were then thanks to the German components used but I am a 911 fan all the way I was then and I am now!!

but I am in my 40s happily married so I am also not trying to seek more attention on the road!!?

That GT3 RS is also not a sleeper my any means but that thing turns like nothing else on Planet Earth!!!

Sorry for the car chat on AM thread!!

Cheers,

Always love a good car chat. However, do not forget its heavier counterpart which can probably not accelerate as good as that Porshe (Spider for me was the best handlier) the GT350R 'Stang can carve a road almost as good at 1/4 the price.

Think of the AM shoes as Mustang Shelbys (American version ?).

 

[shirtingfantasy]

I’m sure AM hire people as well, EG/GG are not big company by any means, JL is under the umbrella so I suppose different story.

The only beef I have with say GG (or high end English maker in general) maker is price, and still just GW at that price, and if you want something in wider width even CJ charge you stupid money.

If I order GG with wider width I might as well go Japanese semi bespoke at that point.

Agreed. If one really wants to make sure he knows the maker of his pair he would have to do bespoke each and every time - from makers who exclusively do bespoke, pair by pair.

AM has a small factory with a handful of workers. I think even for Aurum or bespoke orders his workers help a bit. For example, he stopped taking MTO orders with Norwegian apron a while back as there was a lack of worker (and it would cost him time and cost us money to have AM do the stitching for all the pairs). Arguably we don’t know most of AM’s workers personally?

I am not a philanthropist. I give my money to whoever willing to sell me beautiful shoes - eBay sellers included ?

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

I’m sure AM hire people as well, EG/GG are not big company by any means, JL is under the umbrella so I suppose different story.

The only beef I have with say GG (or high end English maker in general) maker is price, and still just GW at that price, and if you want something in wider width even CJ charge you stupid money.

If I order GG with wider width I might as well go Japanese semi bespoke at that point.

No argument with choosing a Japanese maker at that price point, in fact have done it myself. Now that you mention it, Hiro is coming back for his yearly visit @clee1982.

Definitely hard to justify a GYW shoe being chosen over a HW one (MTM no less). But like I always say, if that shoe is the best thing since the toaster oven (the Dover) I don't mind. ?.

 

[peanutbutterjellychoo]

I drive Japanese car and would love to drive any continental car. It's just that cars in Singapore are crazy expensive so a Porsche 911 GT3 RS would have a starting price of SGD 820,000 or USD $590,000. Assuming an average cost of SGD 1,000 or USD $720 per AM shoe, you can get 820 pairs.

On the subject of Japanese makers, Yohei Fukuda has just released a RTW line in Singapore through Mason & Smith (see attached pict) and their starting prices for their shoes are at SGD 3,000 ~ USD $2160..... Crazy prices!

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

I drive Japanese car and would love to drive any continental car. It's just that cars in Singapore are crazy expensive so a Porsche 911 GT3 RS would have a starting price of SGD 820,000 or USD $590,000. Assuming an average cost of SGD 1,000 or USD $720 per AM shoe, you can get 820 pairs.

On the subject of Japanese makers, Yohei Fukuda has just released a RTW line in Singapore through Mason & Smith (see attached pict) and their starting prices for their shoes are at SGD 3,000 ~ USD $2160..... Crazy prices!

Haha that is hilarious. I mentioned it was hard to justify the expense for a GYW shoe. Darn hard to spend $2k+ for a RTW shoe, regardless if it were HW or not. Should be about $1300 ($1400 w/trees).

 

[BomTrady]

Definitely agree with everything here. I would add Edward Green as an option if you wanted a British shoe. I believe them to be the pick of the litter (Foster & Sons's new factory notwithstanding) amongst this bunch of English shoemakers. Beautiful leathers, forgiving lasts, age better than most, and helpful customer service.

As @styc mentioned the AMs at this price point are rather stiff, and the shoes relatively heavy compared to JL and G&G. This does not mean you are receiving inferior leather. More often than not, Antonio uses box calf. Box calf is stiff compared to crust (something about the dyeing process) with black being the most harshest to break. On a positive note, it will not crease as badly as your soft leathers (like crust which G&G/JL/EG all use). Anyone who owns a pair of G&Gs can attest to what the shoes look like after 10 wears vs what Meccariello's shoes look like (don't ask what your feet look like after 10 wears of AMs shoes hahaha).

I am not sure that harder leather creases less than softer leather. In fact, the opposite might be true in some cases. And my GG shoes look marvelous after 8 years of heavy wear, which is probably an unfair comparison since, to my understanding, AM hasn’t been around for 10 years.

Haha that is hilarious. I mentioned it was hard to justify the expense for a GYW shoe. Darn hard to spend $2k+ for a RTW shoe, regardless if it were HW or not. Should be about $1300 ($1400 w/trees).

i think how much money people can afford or are willing to pay for any shoe is a wholly personal decision and that decision shouldn’t be judged. One man’s house is another man’s candy bar. I have AMs and YFs and frankly they are so different it’s difficult to make a comparison at all. The AMs are bulkier and thicker and the YF are sleek. I don’t know why one has to be “better” than than the other. Why can’t they just be different? I love my AMs and happy that not all shoes are the same. That would be boring. I love my GGs, some of which I have had for over 8 years and they have worn beautifully. I love my JLs, as well as my StCs and SBs. Finding one maker so absolutely superior in every respect compared to another’s just as absurd as having a luxury sports car and an luxury SUV and loving absolutely everything about one to the absolute exclusion of the other when each has its purpose.

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

I am not sure that harder leather creases less than softer leather. In fact, the opposite might be true in some cases. And my GG shoes look marvelous after 8 years of heavy wear, which is probably an unfair comparison since, to my understanding, AM hasn’t been around for 10 years.

From personal experience and from other's pictures, I have seen extremely bad creases on G&G shoes. Consider yourself fortunate I guess.

Concerning the leather, Meccariello, Hiro Yanagimachi, and Tomoyuki Watanabe say that about Box vs Crust leather. Not saying you are incorrect, but these gentlemen who both handle and work with these leathers seemingly agree with this premise. I figure their sentiments may be credible enough to repeat, but to be fair they are not leather experts persay. Probably tannery guys would be able to confirm that.


****i think how much money people can afford or are willing to pay for any shoe is a wholly personal decision and that decision shouldn’t be judged. One man’s house is another man’s candy bar. I have AMs and YFs and frankly they are so different it’s difficult to make a comparison at all. The AMs are bulkier and thicker and the YF are sleek. I don’t know why one has to be “better” than than the other. Why can’t they just be different? I love my AMs and happy that not all shoes are the same. That would be boring. I love my GGs, some of which I have had for over 8 years and they have worn beautifully. I love my JLs, as well as my StCs and SBs. Finding one maker so absolutely superior in every respect compared to another’s just as absurd as having a luxury sports car and an luxury SUV and loving absolutely everything about one to the absolute exclusion of the other when each has its purpose.******

I do not recall comparing AM and YF. True that everyone is entitled to spend their money as they deem fit (pretty much admitted to doing that with the Dover purchase). Having said that, if folks on here rather not pay $1500+ for a GYW shoe and rather invest in a lower priced GYW shoe (such as AM), then it begs the question why would they be willing to pay 4 times that amount for a RTW HW shoe? Factor in for the $2k, you can not alter color, sole preference, nor add in say a medallion.. As I mentioned, it is really hard to justify the extra expense. Were a person able to afford the $2k (an exorbitant amount by most measures) presumably they could also spend another $600-$700 and purchase a MTO YF shoe.

Again not a criticism but reading the commentary from members, it seems a difficult purchase decision. I would venture to guess there should be another Japanese maker out there who could presumably build you a "sleek" MTO shoe for that price.

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

How did that become one long quote ?. The beauty of cellphones I tell you.

 

[greenhouse]

Porsche 911 GT3 RS would have a starting price of SGD 820,000 or USD $590,000

Holy ****. You guys are getting screwed.

 

[clee1982]

I drive Japanese car and would love to drive any continental car. It's just that cars in Singapore are crazy expensive so a Porsche 911 GT3 RS would have a starting price of SGD 820,000 or USD $590,000. Assuming an average cost of SGD 1,000 or USD $720 per AM shoe, you can get 820 pairs.

On the subject of Japanese makers, Yohei Fukuda has just released a RTW line in Singapore through Mason & Smith (see attached pict) and their starting prices for their shoes are at SGD 3,000 ~ USD $2160..... Crazy prices!

thought tax in Taiwan is bad guess you guys are same, I remember when I was a kid (I.e. pre WTO days), Mercedes would cost about 2X as the US and with a smaller engine... think these day it’s more like 1.5X for same spec?

I thought Fukueda’s RTW has been around for a while the Armoury carries it as well (and actually maybe $100 more than you guys) and I think the first one outside Japan was the Sabot (they used to carry AM too I remember), from what I heard YK’s RTW is “identical” to bespoke in terms of make (but of course on a “not for you” last).

 

[clee1982]

I’m sure YK is awesome but I just can’t stomach RTW shoe at $2k for same reason I can’t stomach RTW suit at $6k...

I didn’t get a good fit out of GG (or any of the “aggressive” English maker where the toebox is too tight), and up in width was stupid pricing probably, definitely one of the big reason cause me to try AM in the first place

 

[BomTrady]

Yes, it may be difficult for many, but money is not a factor for many others.

 

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

I’m sure YK is awesome but I just can’t stomach RTW shoe at $2k for same reason I can’t stomach RTW suit at $6k...

I didn’t get a good fit out of GG (or any of the “aggressive” English maker where the toebox is too tight), and up in width was stupid pricing probably, definitely one of the big reason cause me to try AM in the first place

This is the point I had been trying to make to BomBrady. People turn to AM shoes due to the perceived value he offers. A well crafted shoe for an excellent price. In most cases, it is the GYW shoe and in other cases his HW Argentum.

If an individual was willing to fork over $2k+ for a pair of YK shoes, I am sure if they wanted to try AM as a maker and spend that sort of money, they would either go the Aurum or Bespoke route.

StC's (who most see my name attached to amongst many makers haha) offers truly exceptional value for a MTO at almost $1000 less. Is that YK RTW that much better?

@clee1982 you mentioned that that YK shoe is bespoke standard. Probably is, but at this price point most of the makers like StC, Stefano Bemer, Clematis Ginza, AM Aurum, Yanagimachi MTO, Materna, Ramon Cuberta, Saskia Wittmer, Bolero (Off the top of my head) can offer the same or better.

I would have thought the pricing of YKs shoes would be in the realm of GG/EG/JL. I guess they assume the construction and namesake justifies the higher price tag.